Last.



H. A. BALLARD.

LAST. APPLICATION FILED HAR. 9, 190`9- l 1,1 12,403, yPatga'nted Sept.29, 1914. v I 25 2,0

DQ l

-HARRIE A. IBALILARD,` OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

ASSIGNOR TO THE BOYLSTON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F SOUTH. BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORAL TION OF NEW JERSEY.

LAST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

Application led March 9; 1909. l Seriall No. 482,391.

slide in a groove formed for its reception in the other part.'

Another object of the invention is to reduce the cost of manufacture 'asmuch as possible and to provide a structure capable of withstanding thestrains of ordinary usage.

In addition to the means for coupling the forepart` and heel-part, theinvention em'- bodies means for locking the 'tw'o'parts together whenthey are in one position and' for/limiting their movement when one isslid relatively to the other. f

On lthe accompanying drawings which. illustrate one form of structure inwhich the invention may be embodied', Figure 1 represen't`s a sideelevation of a last of which a portion appears in section. Fig. 2 is asimilar view ,in which the last appears in its foreshortened condition.-Fig. 3 is a ysection on' line3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a side elevationof the preferred'form of coupling member. Fig. 5 is a section on line'5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an end view of the coupling member. Fig. 7 isa transverse'section of a `fragment of the abutting portion of theheel-part.

The same reference characters indicate the saine parts wherever theyoccur.

On the drawings, the forepart of the last is indicated at 10 and theheel-part 'at 11.

The forepart and heel-part may be'obtaii'ied by dividing a solid onepiecelaston a'plane inclined to a transverse perpendicularl planeextending fromfa point `'z'ippifoxim'ately midway of theuinstep to apomton the sole surface at the rear of the archi.l By.A so dividing thelast, the'toe part is provd'edwith an inclined face 12, and the:heel-partwith an inclined face 13. The eifectjof slidingthe two "partsof the last 'from the position shown by Eig. 1 to that 'shown by 2, isto shorten the last :and to 'acilitateits 1nsertion in and removal'froma' shoe.

ber.

In order to couple the forepart and heely part one of said parts,preferably the forepart, is provided with a coupling member having aportion 11 of T-shape cross section adapted to be aflixed upon theabutting face 12.A The abutting portion of the heel-part is thereforeformed with a gro`ove-15l of cross section similar to that of thecouplin mem- It is desirable that the couping be concealed when the lastis in its working position, and in 'orderto so far as possible concealthe connection between the two parts, the coupling member is constructedand arranged so as to extend from the sole line part` way but'notentirely to the instep, while the groove 15 is likewise formed so as toextend from the sole line 'an equal distance toward the instep. By soarranging the coupling member and forming the heelpart, the upper end ofthe coupling in ember is concealed byan overlapping portion 16 on theheel-part "when the last is closed.

The preferred form of coupling member comprises a shank 17 extendingtransversely from the upper end ofthe bodyportion 14 and provided withan external screw thread -18 andan internal socket 19 adapted'to re#ceive. a locking member hereinafter described. preferably prepared byboring a' hole Abeginning at the top surface of the heel-part andextending transversely of the/inclined face 13 through the same and intothe forepart, thereby leaving an aperture'20 inthe heel-part and anaperture21'in the forepart whichare in alinementwhen the last is closed.The diameter of the aperture 21 is preferably slightly less than theouter diameter of the screw thread 18 thereby providing means wherebythe shank 17 may be firmly embedded in the forepart by swinging thecoupling vmember about the axis of the shank. When the shank is screwedinto the aperture 21 sofar as of thepcouplin member to he on the abutting face 12, t eother end of the coupling member may b'ev allixed byinserting a screw 22 through it and into the f0repa'rt.

The orepart and heel-part maybe assembled by placing the sole surface ofthe heelpart above the upper end of the coupling vmember 'with u'Y onthe corresponding face 12 land by Asliding the heelpart longitudinally'of the coupling member. Suitable locking mecha- TheAY forepart andheel-part are to enable the body the inclined face 13 lying iat` lablerelatively thereto or locking said last against relative movement,said nism is provided for locking the heel-part and forepart when theyare in working position, and for limiting the movement of the heel-partwhen it is slid along the coupling member. The preferred form of locking'device comprises a plunger 23 fitted in the aperture 19 and having areduced stem 24 extending through an aperture in the inner end of theshank 17. A helical spring coiled about the stem 24' and compressedbetween the larger portion 23 and the inner end of the shank 17 tends toforce the plunger toward the heel-part so that, when the aperture is inalinement therewith, the plunger may automatically enter the aper- .tureand look the two parts. A head 25 may be'provided on the projecting endof the stemv 24 to retain the plunger 23. In order to limit the slidingmovement of the heel-part, a socket 26 having an abrupt face 27 isformed in the back wall of the groove 15. The socket is also formed withan inclined face 28 between the face 27 and the aperture 20.' When theplunger 2 3 is retracted, which may be done by inserting a straight toolin the outer end of the aperture 20, and the heel-part is moved to theposition shown by Fig. 2, the plunger 23 4enters the socket 26 andengages the face 27, thereby limiting the movement of the heelpart. Whenthe heel-part is restored'to the position shown by Fig. 1, the plungeris forced back by the inclined face 28 so that,

when the aperture 20 moves into alinementwith the plunger, the lattermay project so as to lock the two parts.

Having thus explained the nature of my i said invention and described away of constructing and usingthe same, although without attempting toset forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modesof its use, I declare that what I claim 1s:- a'

1. A last comprising a forepart and heelpart one of which has anundercut groove in its confronting face, a ianged coupling memberaiiixed to the other part and adapted to slide in said groove, and amemberv carried by said coupling member and movable relatively theretofor locking said last parts against relative movement, said groovedmember having means adapted to coact with said locking member forlocln'ng thel last parts. u

.2. A last comprising a forepart and heelpart one of which has anundercut groovein its confronting face, a flanged coupling memberaliixed to the other part and adapted to slide in said groove, -a membercarried by said couplin member and movparts grooved part having meansfor coaotlng with said locking member to lock the last parts, Yand aspring for vacting upon sald rparts in operative locking member, saidcoupling member having a socket for said spring.

A lastl comprising a forepart Aand heelpart one of which has `anundercut groove in its confronting face, a fianged coupling wmemberafiixed to the other part and adaptaffixed to the other one of saidparts to slide in said groove'and hold said parts connected, saidgrooved part having a stop face, a stop member carried by said couplingmember and arranged to coact with said stop face to limit relativesliding movement of said parts 'in one direction, .and a spring arrangedto 'hold said stop member in operative position, said stop memberbeingmovable relatively to said coupling member, against the force ofsaid spring, from operative position to clear said stop face.

5. A last comprising a forepart and heelpart one of which has anundercut groove in its confronting face, a flanged coupling memberaffixed to the other part and adapted to slide in said groove, and alocking member carried by said couplin member and movable relativelythereto, sald grooved last part having means for coacting with saidlocking member to lock the last parts against4 relative movement, saidcoupling member and locking member having coactive means adapted to keepthem connected.

6. A last comprisinga forepart and heelpart oneof which has an undercutgroove in its abutting portion, a coupling member aixed to the other oneof said parts to slide in said groove and hold said parts connected, alocking member carried-by said coupling member and movable relatively tosaid coupling member to and from locking position, and a spring arrangedto normally hold said locking member in locking position, said groovedpart having a recess to receive said locking member to lock the two lastosition, said grooved part having a stop ace arranged' to coact -withsaid lockingl member .to limit relative ed to slide in said groove, saidcoupling member having a shank extending into the last part to which itis alixed, said shank having a socket, a locking member movable in saidsocket, said groovedlast part having means for coacting With saidlocking member to lock the last parts against relative movement, and aspring in said socket for acting upon said locking member, said lockingmember and coupling member having coactive means for preventing removalof said locking member from said socket.

8. A last comprising a forepart and a heelpart having abutting faces vaflanged coupling member seated upon the abutting face of one of saidparts and axed to the latter, the other one of said parts having anundercut groove coperating with said coupling HARRIE A. BALLARD;

Vitnesses:

GEO. T. ARMSTRONG, M. E. CAPEN.

